Lisbon, Nov. 21, 2025 (Lusa) - The Portuguese Association of Travel and Tourism Agencies (APAVT) says that Ryanair's departure from the Azores deserves "full attention", hoping that dialogue between the company and the authorities will continue with a view to finding "balanced solutions".

"The news of Ryanair's reduced operations in the Azores deserves the utmost attention from the entire sector, since air connectivity is an essential pillar for the economic development of the Autonomous Region, for the mobility of residents and for the sustainability of the destination as a tourist reference," the APAVT president told Lusa.

Ryanair announced on Thursday the cancellation of all flights to/from the Azores from 29 March, "due to high airport charges" and "the inaction of the Portuguese Government, which increased air navigation charges by +120% after Covid and introduced a €2 travel charge, at a time when other European Union (EU) states are abolishing travel taxes to ensure capacity growth, which is scarce."

Pedro Costa Ferreira hopes that the airline and regional and national authorities will be able to "maintain a constructive dialogue" with the aim of finding solutions that "ensure stability, continuity and competitiveness in air service."

"The predictability of connections is crucial for both tourists and the local business community," he stresses.

The association acknowledges the important role that low-cost airlines play in providing access to the Azores, "contributing to increased demand, market diversification and reduced seasonality", but stresses that "the format is extremely demanding for the regions, which are subject to enormous negotiating pressure whenever renewal processes are on the agenda". This situation, he argues, "should be taken into account when making decisions".

"Balanced solutions should be sought that do not put destinations under constant pressure," appeals Pedro Costa Ferreira.

Ryanair has been operating between the Azores and Lisbon, Porto, London and Brussels for 10 years.

Ryanair argued that, "unfortunately, (the Portuguese airports managing company) ANA's monopoly has no plans to increase low-cost connectivity with the Azores", adding that ANA "faces no competition in Portugal - which has allowed it to obtain monopoly profits, increasing Portuguese airport charges without any penalty - at a time when competing airports in other EU countries are reducing charges to stimulate growth".

ANA - Aeroportos de Portugal, the company that manages airport infrastructure in Portugal, is owned by the French group Vinci.

Ryanair argues that the government "must intervene and ensure" that airports - "a critical part of national infrastructure, especially in an island region such as the Azores - serve to benefit the Portuguese people and not a French airport monopoly".

ANA said on Thursday that the announcement was "a surprise" and that "recent talks" were "geared towards increasing, not reducing" supply.

"The airport charges in force in the Azores, the lowest in the network," remained unchanged in 2025, "with ANA not proposing any increase for 2026," said the concessionaire, adding that "this cost reduction in real terms (i.e., removing the effect of inflation) cannot therefore justify the company's change of position."

ANA said it is maintaining an open dialogue with Ryanair "to identify, in addition to the company's well-known communication position, what the new contextual elements may have been".

The company also maintains "close collaboration with the regional government of the Azores and tourism entities to ensure the best air connectivity" to and from the region, "with Ryanair and other operators".

The routes operated by Ryanair between Ponta Delgada, Lisbon and Porto are also operated by the Azores regional airline, SATA, and the country's flag carrier, TAP, it noted.

MSF/AYLS // AYLS

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